U.S. veterinarians issue guidelines for handling pets exposed to Ebola

CHICAGO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - An American veterinary group
issued guidelines on Wednesday on how to handle and potentially
quarantine pet cats and dogs that may have been exposed to
humans with Ebola.

Dogs and cats are not known to be capable of getting or
spreading Ebola. But Spanish health officials killed a dog
belonging to a nurse who got Ebola, stirring widespread protest.
U.S. authorities quarantined the dog of an American nurse with
the virus.

The guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical
Association aim to help state governments plan their response to
Ebola, which has killed more than 5,000 people in an outbreak in
West Africa and a handful of people in Europe and the United
States.

According to the guidelines, state health officials should
evaluate a pet's exposure to a patient with Ebola and contact
with other humans and animals, with detailed questions about
where the pet sleeps and and where it has gone outside the home.

Based on that assessment, the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention can help public health officials decide
whether to quarantine a pet. The veterinarians provided a
detailed list of protocols for transporting an animal to
quarantine, handling its food and waste and protecting
caretakers from exposute.

Ebola testing of animals will be done only in specific cases
in consultation with the CDC, the veterinary group said.

If an animal tests positive for the virus, not just for
antibodies, the pet should be euthanized and incinerated, the
guidelines said.
(Editing by Peter Cooney)